Near the latter part of last year, a debate arose among some Adventists on social media as to why pastors today are not preaching “present truth” to their congregations. My initial reaction to this was that I wondered why would anyone use a public platform to discuss issues that are germane to a specific group of people, in this case Seventh-day Adventists. I’m sure that the one who posed this question has many friends on this platform who are not Adventists, at least that is my hope anyway. This is why we need to be careful what we put online for social consumption, because it may have the potential to cause those who are not part of the group to become jaded by what might be shared.
Now, back to the present truth debate. After reading many of the responses to this individual’s question, it became painfully clear that many, if not most of those who responded, did so without possessing a clear understanding of what is meant by the phrase, “Present Truth.” If you are familiar with the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, then more than likely you have heard it mentioned more than a few times. Besides being the original name for the Adventist Review, the flagship journal of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, founded by James and Ellen White in 1849, one of the oldest religious publications in North America, it also referred to a concept held by Adventist pioneers which has its roots in 2 Peter 1:12:
“For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth.”
According to one of the founders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Ellen White, “present truth” is truth that serves as a test to the people in their generation. It is a truth that needs to be shared for that age in particular as well as beyond. And for these early pioneers of the “advent” movement, present truth ranged from such biblical themes as the imminent return of Jesus Christ (in their lifetime) to the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath, as well as the nature or the state of the dead and the heavenly sanctuary, just to name a few. So, in other words, what classifies a truth as “present” truth is that, although it is truth for all times, it is viewed as a test in particularly for the “present” generation. It is truth that needs to be brought front and center for these times.
In response to this social media debate as to why more pastors are not preaching “present” truth, the question that begs to be asked is, what is present truth for this generation? I submit to you today that I believe that the “present truth” for today is none other than truth itself. We live in an age when truth is no longer viewed as truth. Today’s culture is being bombarded by “fake news,” alternative truth, conspiracy theories, “your truth and my truth,” And then there is simply the blatant denial of truth itself. So, in my humble opinion, the truth that needs to be paraded before this current generation, as a test of all tests, is the very idea of truth itself.
And as Christians, those of us who profess to be seekers of truth and who profess to be in relationship with Christ, who is “the way the truth and the life,” shouldn’t we be leading the charge for truth, regardless of whether it’s unpopular or perhaps not politically expedient? It was the great reformer John Huss who said, “Therefore, faithful Christian, seek the truth, listen to the truth, learn the truth, love the truth, tell the truth, learn the truth, defend the truth even to death.” Now, if this is not a clarion call for what is desperately needed for these dangerously unstable times in which we find ourselves, both within as well as outside the walls of the church, then I’m not sure I know what is.